Symptoms and Etiological Attribution: A Cross-Sectional Studyin Mexican Outpatients with Psychosis and Their Relatives

This cross-sectional study aimed at identifying the most common attributions of their mental disorder in a Mexican patients whohave experienced psychosis and their relatives and exploring how having experienced or not characteristic psychotic symptomsand their present clinical status might affect their etiological attributions. Past and current symptom profiles of 66 patients wereas assessed with the SCID-I (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders) and the PANSS (Positive and NegativeSyndrome Scale), respectively. The etiological attribution of psychosis of patients (𝑛=62)andtherelatives(𝑛=65) was assessedwith the Angermeyer and Klusmann scale comprising 30 items into five categories: biology, personality, family, society, and esoteric.Patients and relatives attribute psychosis mainly to social factors. Relatives’ attributions were not influenced by clinical profile ofpatients, whereas in the case of patients it was only current clinical status that showed a difference, with those in nonremissionscoring higher personality and family factors. Acknowledging patients’ and relatives’ beliefs about mental disorders at onset andlater on is particularly important in psychosis, a mental condition with severe and/or persistent symptoms, in order to promotebetter involvement in treatment and in consequence efficacy and recovery.